News Article

President Signs Defense Supplemental Bill

The House of Representatives earlier this week approved passage of the $59 billion bill that includes $33.5 billion to fund overseas operations. The Senate passed it last week.

Pentagon Spokesman Geoff Morrell said earlier this week that Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates applauded passage of the bill.

"Over the past several weeks, we have had to take extraordinary measures to fund our military operations around the world this late in the fiscal year,” Morrell said in a statement, “but thankfully the money provided in the supplemental ensures that we will be able to continue the drawdown of U.S. forces in Iraq while we plus-up forces in Afghanistan as part of our efforts to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaida."

Most of the funding will be used for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The supplemental also includes $13.38 billion for Vietnam veterans’ Agent Orange exposure programs; $5.1 billion for disaster relief to the Federal Emergency Management Agency; $2.9 billion for Haitian earthquake relief; $178 million for the Army Corps of Engineers to respond to natural disasters; and $50 million to improve port facility access in Guam.